In March, Andrew Wynne will be running from Newcastle to Port Macquarie to raise awareness about MND and funds to support people living with MND.
His father Terry sadly passed away from motor neurone disease in 2024. Andrew then decided to hold the Run for Tez and MND in honour of his father, highlighting the need for support, particularly for people living with MND aged 65 and over who are not eligible for NDIS assistance.
“Dad passed away in March last year from MND. There’s no cure and unfortunately life expectancy is not great. Once he was diagnosed I had it in the back of my head that I would do something to raise money,” Andrew said.
“The reason I chose to do this run was to raise a bit of money and awareness – due to dad’s age he wasn’t able to get access to the NDIS. He had help from the Mater Cavalry hospital here, and also from MND NSW. Money goes into research but it’s also about the awareness, everyone should get access to the support they need.”
Andrew was always into sports growing up, but long distance running is something he came to enjoy thanks to his long-term partner - since meeting her, they have undertaken marathons and other long-distance running events. The challenge prompted Andrew to take on an epic six-day marathon in memory of his father, and he has been putting in plenty of training.
“I started doing 5-10km 2-3 times during the week, and 15-20km on the weekend, then slowly build up to 90-120k per week,” he said.
Port Macquarie was always a favourite holiday destination for Andrew and his family, making it a special destination to reach for the end of his run.
“Dad’s sister had a van through the summer, so we’d go up with her or mum and dad as kids,” he said.
“When we were older, we still came back to Port Macquarie and visited with friends and their kids, or with family - mum and dad would go for a few days, and we’d catch up with cousins, or older brothers and their kids. Port Macquarie was always our holiday destination. But after dad passed away, we didn’t make it there last year.”
Andrew will start his mega marathon in Newcastle on March 9, and said he will ‘hopefully run in on March 14’ to Port Macquarie.
“Family and friends are going to join different days,” he said.
You can support Andrew by making a donation to his fundraising page at mndblue.org.au/runfortez
You can also stay up to date with his progress via Instagram.